Where LeBron stands in Florida

Miami Heat fans are, as you would expect, very happy about LeBron James joining their team. The rest of the state is letting out a collective yawn.

69% of Floridians on our most recent poll said they were not at all excited about James coming to the Heat. 19% said they were very excited and 12% said they were somewhat excited. 74% of respondents who described themselves as Heat fans said they were 'very excited' but among all respondents who did not identify as Heat fans only 8% expressed that sentiment.

The lack of enthusiasm about James coming to the Heat may be reflective of a general lack of interest in the NBA among Floridians. Asked whether they were fans of the Heat or of the Orlando Magic 65% said they were not fans of either team with 18% calling themselves Magic fans and 16% going with the Heat.

Folks in Florida do view James more favorably than the country as a whole does. 27% have a favorable opinion of him while 21% view him unfavorably. That's a lot better than the 19/29 split we found for him nationwide a week and a half ago. Among all Floridians who are not Heat fans James' favorability of 17/26 mirrors his national numbers closely. But Heat fans see him positively by a 76/1 ratio and that brings up his overall numbers considerably.

Poll numbers aren't of much relevance to basketball players but it's pretty clear LeBron is not going to be a big statewide figure in Florida the way he might have been in Ohio.

Full results here